Review: "A Christmas Story Christmas"

Jean Shepherd first published the books In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash in 1966 and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters in 1971. Both books were the inspiration for the beloved holiday classic film A Christmas Story, released on November 18th, 1983. The film was a moderate success when released, but continues to grow in cult status today, having been readapted as a stage play in 2000 and a Broadway musical version in 2012. A direct-to-video sequel, A Christmas Story 2, was also released in 2012. Throughout the last 39 years, however, fans of the original have begged for a continuation of the story, featuring the original film’s cast members. Finally, after all this time, they received it on HBO Max. A Christmas Story Christmas was released on November 17th, 2022. Here’s my review:

Set 33 years after the original, in 1973 Chicago, Illinois, Ralph Parker is now a husband and dad struggling to build his career as a writer. When he suddenly receives the news that his father has passed away, he brings his family to his hometown of Hohman, Indiana where he is faced with two very difficult burdens: making his own children’s Christmas special and writing his father’s obituary. In doing so, he takes a hilarious trip down memory lane as he rekindles fond—and not so fond—memories of his past. 

This movie is an emotional tribute to the late-great Darren McGavin who passed away on February 25th, 2006. It’s very touching, but also very hilarious. McGavin had a career spanning 63 years, and had many beloved roles on Broadway, television, and film. While the role of Old Man Parker is one of his best-known, he received an Emmy Nomination for his guest role on the series Murphy Brown (1988-2018), starred in the original Broadway productions of My Three Angels in 1953 and The Rainmaker in 1954, and he appeared in Billy Madison (1995), which ignited the film career of Adam Sandler. Despite his absence, the film beautifully carries on his legacy.   

Although the film takes place in 1973, the story is relatable to modern standards. One certainly could feel that they relate to the sequel more than they relate to the original as the original took place in 1940. There’s wittier humor, and it’s remarkable to watch Ralphie Parker be a responsible, conscientious adult instead of continuing to be a kid obsessed with getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

This film reunites the original “Christmas Story,” cast: Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, Ian Petrella as Ralphie’s brother Randy, R.D. Robb and Scott Schwartz respectively as Ralphie’s best friends Schwartz and Flick, and Zack Ward as “Officer” Scut Farkus. Melinda Dillon, who played Mrs. Parker in the original, was offered to reprise her role in the sequel, but declined as she was content with her retirement. Julie Hagerty was cast in the role of Mrs. Parker, and she portrays the role beautifully. Billingsley also co-wrote with Clay Kaytis who directed the film. Vince Vaughn, Marc Toberoff, and Irwin Zwilling all co-produced with Billingsley.

Overall, “A Christmas Story Christmas,” is a great movie, period! It has an emotional effect similar to “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” as that film paid tribute to former “Ghostbusters,” cast member Harold Ramis who passed away in 2014. Even if you weren’t a fan of the original “A Christmas Story,” I would highly recommend this film as you’ll appreciate its emotionally moving message. I unashamedly rank it as my new favorite Christmas movie!  

 

Review: "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

On August 28th, 2020, Chadwick Boseman passed away less than two months shy of his 44th birthday, as a result of colon cancer. His most beloved role was King T’Challa/Black Panther in a series of MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies (2016-2021). He was also known for portraying Baseball Superstar Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013) as well as his Oscar-Nominated performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). After his tragic passing, Marvel continued Black Panther’s story with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). This is my review.

As the nation of Wakanda mourns the death of their king, his beloved sister, Shuri faces a great deal of pressure. She grieves her brother’s death, but is also on the verge of succeeding him as Wakanda’s new Queen. Meanwhile, Wakanda itself faces a new enemy in the underwater kingdom of Talokan, led by King Namor, who is determined to throw Wakanda underwater due to a misunderstanding regarding a vibranium detector invented by the CIA. Shuri therefore has to team up with Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s female forces), as well as a new friend, Riri Williams/Ironheart to not only fight Namor and his kingdom, but prove him wrong, all the while relying on the consistent guidance of her mother, Queen Ramonda.

This sequel offers a new perspective on the kingdom of Wakanda. It is female-dominated, whereas the first Black Panther (2018) was not. It is very easy to root for Shuri and Okoye because we admire them for their bravery and tenacity, but we also feel compassion for them as they mourn King T’Challa’s death. As they struggle to move on with their lives, along with the help of their new friend, Ironheart, we are quickly rooting for them. It is likely that most fans will miss Boseman’s reappearance, but the film pays a tribute to him in its opening and closing scenes, which provides closure as well as a nice transition to the new story.

I was disappointed by the film’s lack of humor, as well as the fact that its tribute to Boseman was only in the opening and closing scenes instead of all throughout the movie. But despite that, it was still entertaining. There was exceptional acting, a decent story, and of course, stunning visual effects. 

“Wakanda Forever,” reunites the cast of Letitia Wright as Shuri, also known as the new “Black Panther,” Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Oscar-nominee Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda. The film also brings back Martin Freeman as CIA Agent Everett K. Ross. While both Freeman and Boseman appeared in the first “Black Panther,” both made their first official MCU appearances in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss also appears as CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Ross’s former wife, and though de Fontaine appeared in the mini-series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), as well as the post-credits scene of Black Widow (2021), “Wakanda Forever,” marks de Fontaine’s first feature-length appearance. The film was directed by Ryan Coogler who directed the first “Black Panther,” and was co-written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole. It features a new score composed by Ludwig Goransson who won the Best Original Score Oscar for scoring the first “Black Panther,” and was produced by Kevin Feige who has produced every MCU film since Iron Man (2008).

Overall, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is a good movie. It might not be a personal favorite for any fan, but they will appreciate how the new main characters carry on Chadwick Boseman’s legacy, even though they know he can never be replaced. More than anything, this new film leaves fans echoing the cry of this new “world”: “WAKANDA FOREVER!”

Review: "Black Adam"

The DC Comics character Black Adam made his first appearance in the first edition of The Marvel Family Comic Book, published in December, 1945. Since then, he has made numerous animated appearances on television and in video games: The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam (1981-1982), Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006), and Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes (2012). He finally made his live-action debut in Black Adam (2022), released on October 21st, in a movie produced by and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Here are my thoughts:

After an imprisonment in 2600 BC for trying to avenge his murdered son, Black Adam, initially known as “Teth Adam,” is suddenly awakened by an archaeologist named Adrianna Tomaz, (who has a son named Amon). Tomaz and son are wowed by Adam’s remarkable levels of strength and speed, but ultimately they learn a complicated truth about Adam and his desire to avenge his son. When they discover that there are other heroes out to get him, (Justice Society members Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher), the film turns into an epic chase story and you don’t really know who you rooting for.

This is a very clever movie because first of all, it’s about a human anti-hero rather than a superhero. He’s very high-strung, slightly irascible, and can become violent within a nano-second. And yet we can’t help but feel for him given the death of his child. One ends up hoping that he’ll learn to do the right thing as difficult as it may be. It’s just more complex than what is normally seen in a superhero movie before.

I was also surprised by the movie’s very fun wit. It’s always a bonus for superhero movie to have clever humor written into it, and this one certainly did. Although it did have some spooky fight scenes within the last half hour, the plot never ceased to be entertaining. Up till this point I had only seen Dwayne Johnson’s roles in light-hearted comedies: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Jungle Cruise (2021) and Red Notice (2021). He played this serious role brilliantly, showing off his dry sense of humor.

The movie was co-produced Johnson, along with Jennifer Conroy, Beau Flynn, and Dany and Hiram Garcia (Johnson’s former wife and brother-in-law). The supporting cast includes Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz. The film was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Dwayne Johnson in “Jungle Cruise.” One of these film’s writers, Adam Sztykiel wrote 2018’s Rampage, which also starred Johnson. Cinematography was handled by Lawrence Sher, who received a Best Cinematography Oscar Nomination for Joker (2019). The film also featured a surprise cameo by Henry Winkler who portrays Atom Smasher’s uncle.

All in all, “Black Adam,” is a great movie! It’s definitely a different take on the typical superhero movie. The plot is somewhat complex, and some of the humor doesn’t flow quite as easily, but the “Black Adam” story makes perfect sense. And it will certainly make you appreciate Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as an actor.